Reversing the Current Trend – Getting More Teachers to Coach

When teachers also serve as coaches, it can enhance their relationship with student-athletes in the classroom. In addition, they already have an extensive understanding of the operational structure of the school, learning styles, and how to organize instruction. As a result, this teacher-coach model has been considered ideal for decades, and one that is preferred.

For a variety of reasons, however, this dual model has been in decline. In some school districts, 50 to 60 percent of their coaches come from the community and are not classroom teachers.

The first step to reverse this national trend is to understand reasons why teachers give up or do not entertain coaching a team.

Many Teachers May Experience One of the Following:

• Increased academic or instructional responsibilities. There may be more paperwork that is involved, a higher degree of scrutiny and elevated expectations. Teachers may feel overwhelmed, and do not want or be able to invest more time and energy with coaching.

• Greater family responsibilities. Beyond the academic or classroom demands, young children or aging parents may require and demand more attention. There simply would be no time to also add coaching responsibilities.

• Prospect of dealing with misguided parents of athletes. With increased academic responsibilities and expectations, some teachers realistically don’t want additionally to have to deal with misguided, demanding, problematic parents. This factor makes coaching very unappealing.

These three examples are not the only possible reasons, but they do provide three common ones. Having established some of the plausible hurdles, the following tips and approaches may positively help.

• Ask your principal for a time slot during the week of teacher preparations prior to the return of students for the new school year. During this brief session, highlight the benefits of coaching and encourage teachers to get involved.

• Make brief announcements of anticipated vacancies at monthly faculty meetings and in-service days. Always emphasize that assistant positions are a great way to get started, and urge new teachers to stop down to discuss the possibility.

• Engage with individual teachers at lunch, between classes, or when passing in the hallways and suggest to them that they would enjoy coaching and should give it a try. You might even suggest that some student-athletes invite a teacher to come and watch a game in an effort to help with your recruiting efforts. The personal touch, reinforcement, and being able to answer questions and address concerns can really help.

• Individually counsel new coaches when they face a difficult situation. While this effort will help beginning coaches to navigate a hurdle or challenge, it also establishes a caring, nurturing culture that others will notice. Realizing that this support is available may make the difference and influence some to consider coaching.

• Always offer to sit in on potentially contentious meetings involving a coach and a problematic parent. Your support will be greatly appreciated by the coach, and your presence will also be noticed by others which may alleviate their fears of dealing with parents.

• Check with your assistant principals to see if you could relieve a new coach of their hall, cafeteria or other duties. In this manner, a stressed-out new coach would benefit from an additional preparation period. While you probably can’t do this for all beginning coaches, you might be able to help a few of them.

• Create a well-planned and organized mentoring program for new coaches. When new coaches understand that an experienced coach will be there to guide and support them, it may decrease the hesitancy on their part and to give coaching a try.

• Sit down with your principal and superintendent and encourage them to consider hiring individuals who also have an interest and willingness to coach. While their efforts should always focus on hiring the best qualified person, if there is a choice between two candidates, it would be best and helpful to go with the one who will potentially fill a coaching position.

With a combination of creating a supportive culture and environment, encouraging your administrators to hire teachers who are willing to coach, constantly promoting the benefits and value of coaching, and individually reaching out to new teachers, it is possible to reverse the decline in teacher-coaches. It will take, however, some time and effort, but it can be done.

Dr. David Hoch is a former athletic director at two high schools in Baltimore County (Maryland) for 16 years. He has 24 years of experience coaching basketball, including 14 years on the collegiate level. Hoch, who has a doctorate in sports management from Temple (Pennsylvania) University, is past president of the Maryland State Athletic Directors Association, and he formerly was executive director of the Maryland State Coaches Association. He has had more than 800 articles published in professional magazines, as well as four textbook chapters. Dr. Hoch is the author of five books: Coaching within the Education-Based Athletics Concept; The Parents’ Guide to Education-Based Athletics; Leading an Education-Based Athletic Program; A Lifetime of Memories from Education-Based Athletics: Humorous, Inspirational and Occasionally Sad; and Refocusing on Education-Based Athletics – A Call to Action. Hoch is a member of the NFHS High School Today Publications Committee.